Extremists are trying to undermine fracking, says Jack Rafuse in an opinion piece in The Hill, a specialty newspaper that covers Congress. Rafuse is a former energy adviser to the Nixon administration and principal of energy, trade and national security consulting group the Rafuse Organization.

Rafuse: "The obstructionists’ newest argument is that fracking leads to 'industrialization,' by which they mean 'job creation.' States like North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Arkansas have all welcomed industrialization. The shale boom, powered by advances in hydraulic fracturing, has enabled the oil and gas industry to steadily create jobs, even when the rest of our economy has struggled."

Americans still don't know a lot about hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a new study shows. And Professor Walter Russell Mead, at his blog, Via Meadia, weighs in on what that means.

Mead: "That the majority of respondents didn’t know anything about fracking (or at least anything relevant) isn’t necessarily surprising, but it does say something about the debate surrounding it. Casual observers of the issue often engage in polarizing word association games rather than absorb detailed information about the pros and cons of fracking."

The Department of Environmental Protection today announced that it has reached a proposed consent decree with Waste Treatment Corporation that addresses adverse impacts to the Allegheny River caused by the company’s treatment and discharge of wastewater.

The proposed consent decree must go through a 30-day public comment period before Commonwealth Court’s final approval.

DEP conducted biological surveys in 2012, which indicated that the discharge from Waste Treatment Corporation’s plant at 341 West Harmar St. in Warren was harming the river’s water quality and biological community.

As proposed, the consent decree requires Waste Treatment to submit the necessary permit application to the department for the installation of additional wastewater treatment that will achieve applicable effluent limitations, including total dissolved solids and chlorides of 500 mg/l and 250 mg/l, respectively. The additional treatment must be installed and have achieved all of the other requirements in the consent decree by January 1, 2016.

The proposed consent decree also requires Waste Treatment to verify, through biological surveys, that the additional treatment is successful in restoring the water quality and biological community of the Allegheny River.

The department is now accepting written comments regarding this proposed consent decree with Waste Treatment Corporation.

A notice of the formal comment period will be published in the Nov. 23, 2013, edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin. The public comment period will end on December 23, 2013.

Anyone wishing to obtain a copy of the proposed consent decree may do so by contacting DEP’s Northwest Regional Office at 230 Chestnut St., Meadville, PA 16335 or by telephone at 814-332-6942.

Written comments may be submitted within the 30-day comment period to DEP’s regional Clean Water Program at the same address.

After the close of the 30-day public comment period, the department will file responses to the comments that it received. The department and Waste Treatment will then file a Joint Motion requesting that the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court approve the entry of the consent decree, which will become final upon the court's approval and entry of the decree.

Ohio's Bricker & Eckler law firm's shale blog points out that Zolmax News says that equities researchers at Deutsche Bank are bullish on Oklahoma-based Gulfport Energy and its position in the Utica shale.

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.: The Marcellus Shale industry, which arrived in this northern Pennsylvania city five years ago and turned Williamsport into the seventh-fastest-growing area in the nation, appears to have lost some momentum.

WASHINGTON, November 21, 2013 – Energy costs have been down overall, but commonsense public policy changes can help put further downward pressure on costs to help American families, API Chief Economist John Felmy told reporters on a conference call today:

“The recent surge in domestic energy production on state and private lands – brought about by hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling – has helped put downward pressure on prices for gasoline, diesel and natural gas. But production on federal lands – where the administration has control – has fallen dramatically.

“With the right government policies that open up federal lands and waters for responsible development while speeding up the permitting process, we can do more to help consumers. Increasing oil production would add supplies that could help put additional downward pressure on gasoline prices. And it would mean more jobs and more revenue to our government to help pay for education and hospitals.

“We also have concerns that government regulations threaten to increase costs. One major concern is ever increasing biofuel mandates under the Renewable Fuel Standard. These mandates could drive up gasoline costs by 30 percent and the cost of diesel by 300 percent by 2015, according to a study by NERA. EPA’s recent proposal to trim next year’s mandate is a welcome stopgap, but ultimately Congress must repeal these ever increasing biofuels mandates to protect consumers in the long run.

“Also, duplicative new federal regulations being considered for hydraulic fracturing could jeopardize the shale energy revolution. States are already regulating effectively; adding another layer of regulation is unnecessary and counterproductive.”

API is a national trade association that represents all segments of America’s technology-driven oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 550 members – including large integrated companies, exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms – provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of over 15 million Americans. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers $85 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested over $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.

The premier oil and gas industry event in Ohio and one of the largest in the eastern U.S., OOGA’s Oilfield Expo 2013 will feature an expanded trade show floor with more than 200 exhibitors, a Fall Technical Conference, an Oilfield Symposium and a Safety Congress.

“Each year, the Expo keeps growing in size and attendance,” said Tom Stewart, executive vice president of OOGA. “Its popularity is a testament to how important oil and gas development is to the economy of Ohio, Appalachia and to the entire nation.”

About the Ohio Oil and Gas Association The Ohio Oil and Gas Association is a trade association with more than 3,300 members involved in the exploration, production and development of crude oil and natural gas resources within the state of Ohio. For more information, visit www.ooga.org.

The Wyoming Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over whether a trade secrets exemption in Wyoming’s public records law may be invoked to shield from disclosure many of the chemicals the petroleum industry uses in hydraulic fracturing.

WASHINGTON, November 20, 2013 – Erik Milito, API’s director of upstream and industry operations, welcomed passage of House legislation, H.R. 2728, that would promote job growth and domestic energy production by preserving the effective leadership of state regulation of hydraulic fracturing.

“Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling are safe, proven technologies that have allowed the U.S. to outpace Russia as the world’s number one producer of oil and natural gas,” said Milito. “Job growth, energy security, and government revenue are all rising due to the U.S. energy revolution, and state regulators are in the best position to preserve America’s progress while protecting our natural resources with rules tailored to local hydrology, geology, and natural resources.

“Hydraulic fracturing’s 60-year track record of safety -- achieved under the stewardship of state regulators -- has been recognized by both current and former Obama administration officials, and this legislation will preserve state leadership against unnecessary or duplicative federal regulations. We welcome House passage of H.R. 2728, and we urge the Senate to quickly consider this common-sense legislation.”

API is a national trade association that represents all segments of America’s technology-driven oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 550 members – including large integrated companies, exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms – provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of over 15 million Americans. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers $85 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested over $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.

Washington, D.C.: Today an amendment to H.R. 2728, the Protecting States' Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act, was soundly defeated by a vote of 142 to 276. The amendment, offered by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), sought to require all natural gas produced on public lands to be offered for sale only in the United States. Following the vote, Center for Liquefied Natural Gas (CLNG) President Bill Cooper issued the following statement:

The US Coast Guard wants to transport shale gas wastewater on barges on our rivers!! We need your help to keep this radioactive and toxic garbage out of our watersheds. Please send a letter NOW! Comment period closes Nov. 29!

Athens, Nov. 20, 2013 -- It was standing-room-only as over 160 people filled the Athens Community Center Tuesday night (11-19) as the Athens County Commissioners took testimony from citizens about an oil and gas waste injection well, K&H Partners #2, proposed for eastern Athens County. If approved, this permit would make the injection well complex the largest in the state.

U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas could help create as many as 30,000 jobs in Ohio and boost the state’s economy by as much as $5 billion by 2035, says a new study commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute.

Those best-case estimates are based on Ohio’s large manufacturing base, and the study says the economic and employment benefits would be even greater for the big natural-gas producing states of Texas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania.

LNG exports could contribute $10 billion to $31 billion to the economies of each of those states and add 59,000 to 155,000 jobs by 2035.

Washington, D.C. —Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released a new report detailing how congressional candidates are benefitting from companies operating hydraulically fractured wells and trade associations supporting the fracking industry.

WASHINGTON – Two bills being voted upon this week by the U.S. House of Representatives would undermine leasing reforms intended to balance energy development activities on public lands, require a set percentage of nominated acres to be offered for lease regardless of potential impacts to fish and wildlife, and limit the federal government’s ability to conserve public lands resources important to hunters and anglers, Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development announced today.

DENVER (AP) — Under pressure to tighten air quality standards for oil and gas drillers, Colorado officials on Monday proposed the nation's first statewide standards for methane emissions and other heightened safeguards.

Pittsburgh, November 18, 2013 – A plurality of Americans are in favor of hydraulic fracturing or “fracing” to extract natural gas from the ground, according to a survey of 1,003 adults by the Robert Morris University Polling Institute Powered by Trib Total Media.

COLUMBUS, OH – Reports released by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) show the development of Ohio’s mineral resources in 2012 produced more than $2.7 billion worth of geologic commodities, including increases in the extracted amount of oil, natural gas, limestone, sand and gravel.

The 2012 Report on Ohio Mineral Industries: An Annual Summary of the State’s Economic Geology and the 2012 Ohio Oil and Gas Summary contain information regarding the production, value and employment totals of Ohio’s various mineral industries. Some highlights include:

The U.S. Energy Department has boosted the amount of natural gas that Freeport LNG ican export overseas from its Texas facility, the federal agency announced Friday.

The company’s facility in Quintana Island, Texas, now has approval to export 1.8 billion cubic feet per day for 20 years to countries that do not have a free-trade agreement with the United States, subject to environmental review and final regulatory approval. In May, Freeport LNG received approval to export 1.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.

“LNG exports will significantly reduce our trade deficit, grow the economy, and support thousands of U.S. jobs. The DOE has every reason to quickly approve these applications, and we’re pleased that they seem to be moving ahead. The shale revolution -- sparked by U.S. innovations in hydraulic fracturing -- has positioned America to play a leading role in the global energy trade, and we must work fast to secure a competitive position in the international market. We continue to urge Energy Secretary Moniz to oversee speedy review and approval of the remaining U.S. LNG export permit applications.”

Yesterday, API unveiled a new study demonstrating U.S. job gains and economic growth, across all states, associated with future exports of liquefied natural gas.

API is a national trade association that represents all segments of America’s technology-driven oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 550 members – including large integrated companies, exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms – provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of over 15 million Americans. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers $85 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested over $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources published a first draft of Illinois' rules for high-volume oil and gas drilling on Friday, and environmental groups quickly criticized them as violating the spirit of regulations that industry, environmentalists and lawmakers crafted together.

According to American Banker, at least three financial institutions are refusing to approve home-owner loans if gas-oil rights have been sold to an energy company.

They are Tompkins Financial (TMP) in Ithaca, N.Y., Spain's Santander Bank and State Employees' Credit Union in Raleigh, N.C. — are refusing to make mortgages on land where oil or gas rights have been sold to an energy company.

James T. Hackett, former CEO of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, is the recipient of the American Petroleum Institute’s 2013 Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement.

The award, API’s highest honor, recognizes leaders who have made substantial contributions to the oil and natural gas industry throughout their careers. This year’s award was presented during the API Annual Meeting in Naples, Florida.

"James Hackett is an outstanding leader who has helped to fuel tremendous success in America’s oil and natural gas industry," API President and CEO Jack Gerard said. "From engineering to finance, he has contributed decades of insight and innovation to the field."

Hackett retired in June 2013 from Anadarko Petroleum, where he served as Executive Chairman of the Board and CEO. Prior to joining Anadarko in 2003, he held senior executive positions at Devon Energy, Ocean Energy, Seagull Energy, Duke Energy, and Pan Energy.

Hackett’s broad range of experience includes the development of unconventional energy sources across North America. He has provided key management for projects both onshore and offshore, as well as the exploration of deepwater resources.

Today, Hackett continues to lead the industry as Chairman of the National Petroleum Council and a Partner at Riverstone Holdings LLC, an energy-focused private investment firm. Holding a B.S. from the University of Illinois and a M.B.A from Harvard University, Hackett is currently pursuing additional studies at Harvard Divinity School.

In addition, Hackett has a long history of sharing his unique expertise across industries and academia. He is member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Chairman of the Baylor College of Medicine, and the former Chairman of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. He also served as a Board Member and adjunct professor at Rice University.

API is a national trade association that represents all segments of America’s technology-driven oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 550 members – including large integrated companies, exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms – provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of over 15 million Americans. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers $85 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested over $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.

HOUSTON, November 11, 2013— Wood Group has agreed to acquire Elkhorn Holdings Inc. ("Elkhorn"), a Wyoming-based provider of construction services for midstream oil & gas facilities in the US shale market.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced $3 million in grants to fund natural gas vehicles last week.

The Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) program was established in 1992 to fund a variety of alternative fuels- including compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), ethanol, hydrogen, and electricity.

The West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy has released a new report on how some West Virginia counties are benefitting from Marcellus shale drilling with increased tax income, reports the West Virginia Natural Gas blog.

“Steve Chazen’s experience and knowledge will reinforce API’s growing outreach to the public and policymakers,” said API President and CEO Jack Gerard. “He knows firsthand how America’s oil and natural gas industry creates jobs, generates revenue for the government, and makes our nation more energy secure. Under Steve’s leadership, API and our 15 million strong and growing network of grassroots activists will continue our advocacy efforts on the benefits of the energy revolution taking place in the United States.”

Mr. Chazen, who has more than 40 years of experience in the oil and natural gas industry, joined Occidental Petroleum in 1994 as Executive Vice President – Corporate Development. He was named Chief Financial Officer in 1999 and elected President and Chief Financial Officer in 2007. He was named President and Chief Operating Officer and elected to the company’s Board of Directors in 2010 and became President and CEO the following year. Prior to joining Occidental, Mr. Chazen was a managing director in the investment banking group of Merrill Lynch & Co.

Mr. Chazen holds a Ph.D. in geology from Michigan State University, a master's degree in finance from the University of Houston, and a bachelor's degree in geology from Rutgers College.

In addition to Occidental Petroleum Corporation and the American Petroleum Institute, he serves on the Boards of Directors for Ecolab Incorporated, the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Catalina Island Conservancy.

Gerard also thanked outgoing Executive Chairman Clarence Cazalot, who is retiring from Marathon Oil Corp., for his leadership over the past year and his long service on API’s Board of Directors.

“Clarence’s influence has been felt throughout API and our entire industry,” said Gerard. “We wish him a long and happy retirement.”

API is a national trade association that represents all segments of America’s technology-driven oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 550 members – including large integrated companies, exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms – provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of over 15 million Americans. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy, delivers $85 million a day in revenue to our government, and, since 2000, has invested over $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- American Energy Partners, LP announced today that it has hired Jeff Fisher as its Chief Operating Officer. Fisher, 53, previously worked for Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) for ten years in increasing roles of importance. In 2003-04, he served as Operations Manager; in 2005-06, as Vice President, Operations – Southern Division; from 2006-12, as Senior Vice President – Production; and in 2012-13, as Executive Vice President – Production. Prior to Chesapeake, he worked in various engineering and operational leadership roles at BP, Vastar, and Arco. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1983.

An Ohio energy company that manufacturers a road deicer and dust suppressant processed from brine water produced from oil and gas wells recently settled a lawsuit after the court issued a ruling against two individuals who had made false and defamatory statements about the product.

HOUSTON, TX -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 11/06/2013 -- Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc. (
NASDAQ
:
CRZO
) announced today that it has priced an underwritten public offering of 4,500,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $44.00 per share. The underwriters will have an option to purchase up to an additional 675,000 shares. The offering was upsized to 4,500,000 shares from the original offering size of 3,750,000 shares. Carrizo intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to fund in part its increased capital expenditure plan that takes into account its recently completed Utica Shale acreage acquisition, the second half of the 2013 development of its expanded position in the Utica Shale and the accelerated fracking of a portion of its existing inventory of Eagle Ford wells and for other general corporate purposes.

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 8, 2013--
MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P.
(NYSE: MWE) (“MarkWest or the Partnership”) announced today an operational update regarding the development of midstream infrastructure projects in the heart of the rich-gas areas of the Marcellus and Utica Shales. MarkWest continues to expand its leading midstream presence throughout the Northeast and currently has 21 major processing and fractionation projects under construction. These projects are occurring at eight large-scale complexes in
Ohio
,
Pennsylvania
, and
West Virginia
and are expected to increase the Partnership’s total processing capacity to over 4 billion cubic feet (Bcf/d) and total fractionation capacity to nearly 300,000 barrels per day (Bbl/d) by the end of 2014.

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 2013--
MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P.
(NYSE: MWE) and
MarkWest Liberty Ethane Pipeline, L.L.C.
(“MarkWest Liberty”), collectively “MarkWest,” will hold a binding open season for the previously announced Liberty Ethane Pipeline. The open season will commence at
8:00 a.m. Mountain Time
on
November 8, 2013
and will end at
5:00 p.m. Mountain Time
on
December 9, 2013
. This pipeline is part of MarkWest’s comprehensive ethane solution in the Northeast, which will include purity ethane transportation infrastructure and de-ethanization facilities located in
Pennsylvania
,
West Virginia
, and
Ohio
.

All suppliers to Range Resources’ drilling site and fracking impoundment in Amwell Township must turn over a detailed list of their product’s formula under a lawsuit filed by nearby residents who claim they were sickened by the operation, a Washington County court order states.

A press release today from Ohio eco-groups who want the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate Ohio's injection wells under the Ohio Department of Naturasl Resources:

Columbus, Ohio – A coalition of groups and individuals submitted reviews, testimony, and key documents to the US EPA, calling on them to hold Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) accountable for poor oversight of the state administered Underground Injection Control (UIC) program.

Chesapeake Energy Corp
, already under investigation for possible antitrust violations in Michigan, said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday the state's attorney general is also probing a possible violation of Michigan's criminal solicitation law.

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 7, 2013--
MarkWest Energy Partners, L.P.
(NYSE: MWE) (“MarkWest and the Partnership”) announced today the completion of long-term, fee-based agreements with
Antero Resources
(NYSE: AR) (“Antero”) for the development of an additional cryogenic gas processing plant at the Partnership’s Sherwood complex in
Doddridge County, West Virginia
. Under terms of the agreements, MarkWest will construct a fifth 200 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d) processing facility that is expected to begin operations in the third quarter of 2014. Upon completion of the new plant, the Sherwood complex will have 1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of total processing capacity.

A Canadian company has applied to build the largest oil pipeline yet from western North Dakota's booming oil patch and will soon begin courting oil producers to reserve space, a key step in a $2.6 billion project that would move millions of gallons of oil to Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The head of Texas-based Halcon Resources is not impressed by the first wells his company has drilled in northern Trumbull County in Northeast Ohio.

Said Floyd C. Wilson, chairman of the board and chief executive officer, during a third quarter 2013 earnings and production call on Tuesday with analysts and the media: "Well, we won't drill any more wells near the (expletive) ones we've drilled already, that's one initiative."

The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking public comments on a proposal that would allow barges to transport shale gas wastewater, a drilling byproduct that can include chemicals, radioactive material and heavy metals.

Natural gas production from Ohio’s Utica shale is starting to boom, according to the reshaped and trimmer Chesapeake Energy Corp.

Natural gas production in the Utica shale grew 91 percent from the second quarter 2013 to the third quarter, the company said on Wednesday in a third-quarter earnings and production call with analysts.

Springfield Township, Ohio, November 4, 2013—Springfield Township Trustee Robert Orr today announced that a recent $40,000 donation will be earmarked for emergency responder services throughout the township. The donation was presented to Springfield Township on behalf of NiSource Midstream Services through the NiSource Charitable Foundation, which was created to support and build strong and sustainable communities. NiSource Midstream Services is a part of NiSource’s Columbia Pipeline Group.

Oklahoma-based Gulfport Energy Corp. is very pleased with its first big gas-only well in Ohio’s Utica shale.

The Irons 1-H well, drilled in Belmont County’s Washington Township, is producing in excess of 30.3 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, Gulfport officials said Tuesday in a third-quarter earnings call with analysts.

Lawyers say dozens of western North Dakota mineral owners have expressed interest in joining lawsuits seeking damages from oil drilling companies for natural gas that is lost when it is burned instead of being captured as a byproduct of oil production.

The Utica and Marcellus shales have bullish futures and could reverse the traditional flow of natural gas from south to north and generate instead new east-to-west traffic in the future, says Bentek Energy of Houston.

That would be driven by increased natural gas production in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia plus growing demand for natural gas in the Southeast over the next 10 years, the company said in a private report based on its modeling.

Natural gas was hard to find and oil production was in steep decline. The Iraq War and China’s growing economy altered the energy scenario. U.S. oil producers had largely given up on new discoveries on American soil. A new energy crisis seemed likely.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 1, 2013--
Hess Corporation
(NYSE: HES) today completed the previously announced sale of its Energy Marketing business to Direct Energy, a North American subsidiary of
Centrica plc
, for a total consideration of
$1.2 billion
. Proceeds were higher than originally announced due to increased working capital at closing.

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 1, 2013--
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company
(TGP), a subsidiary of
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P.
(NYSE: KMP), placed the fully subscribed
Northeast Upgrade Project
(NEUP) in service on schedule
Nov. 1
. The approximately
$500 million
project boosts capacity on TGP’s 300 Line system in
Pennsylvania
and
New Jersey
by 636,000 dekatherms per day (dth/d) and provides additional takeaway capacity from the Marcellus shale area.

BISMARCK, N.D. — A lightning strike may have caused a pipeline rupture that spilled more than 20,000 barrels of oil in a North Dakota wheat field, federal regulators said in a report issued Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said a preliminary investigation of the Tesoro Corp. pipeline break “points to a strong electrical discharge as the cause of the failure.”